SAMSON & HIS PARENTS

INTRODUCTION:

Many heartaches come in raising children.... Christians ask.... "WHY?"

In just about every church there are those who have had great difficulties with their children; few can say everything turned out like they wanted..... "Why?"

Some are just beginning to raise children. It is easy to judge others who have failed.

I had 4 children.... I now have abandoned my theories and recognize that I have no answers.

BUT I KNOW THAT IF WE FOLLOW THE EXAMPLES AND TEACHINGS OF GOD.... HE DOES HAVE THE ANSWERS

(2 Pet 1:3) seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

Parents must recognize that we are only 1/2 of the equation.

Just as with the alien... we are responsible for teaching and the alien is responsible for using the information they received

We are responsible to do our part. To teach truth, but, we must learn the truth first!

Let's learn from one example about the parent/child relationship

Samson's Parents: - Read Judges 13:1-8

(Judg 12:1-8) Then the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you." And Jephthah said to them, "I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hand. And when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the LORD gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day, to fight against me?" Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, "You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh." And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead would say to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No," then they would say to him, "Say now, 'Shibboleth.'" But he said, "Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim. And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. Now Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel after him.

THEY SHARED LIFE TOGETHER IN SPITE OF PROBLEMS

(Judg 13:1-2) Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, so that the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children.

BUT MANOAH AND HIS WIFE STAYED TOGETHER

OUR FIRST LESSON..... GOD EXPECTS US TO STAY TOGETHER; NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR LIVES... WE VOWED "FOR BETTER OR WORSE" "FOR RICHER OF FOR POORER"

THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE CAUSE OF GOD

(Judg 13:3-5) Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman, and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

THEY FOLLOWED GOD EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT HAVE SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE FORGOTTEN BY HIM

THEY TOOK THEIR PROBLEMS TO GOD

(Judg 13:6-8) Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. And I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. But he said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink nor eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'" Then Manoah entreated the LORD and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom Thou hast sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born."

THEY WANTED TO TRAIN THEIR CHILD IN THE WAY OF GOD

(Judg 13:8) Then Manoah entreated the LORD and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom Thou hast sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born."

(Judg 13:12) And Manoah said, "Now when your words come to pass, what shall be the boy's mode of life and his vocation?"

Samson:

HE WAS SELF-WILLED & STUBBORN

(Judg 14:1-4) Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. So he came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife." Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she looks good to me." However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.

HE CHOSE TO ASSOCIATE WITH EVIL COMPANIONS

(Judg 14:1-3) Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. So he came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife." Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she looks good to me."

(1 Cor 15:33) Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

HE COURTED TEMPTATION

(Judg 16:1) Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

(Prov 6:27) Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

(Mat 6:13) 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. '

(2 Tim 2:22) Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

(Gen 39:10) And it came about as she spoke to Joseph day after day, that he did not listen to her to lie beside her, or be with her.

(1 Pet 4:1-4) Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you;

(Col 3:5-11) Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him --a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

HE SURRENDERED THE SOURCE OF HIS STRENGTH

(Judg 16:17) So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, "A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I shall become weak and be like any other man."

(Eph 6:10-13) Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

(Judg 16:20) And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

(Judg 16:20) And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.